Woke up at 4 AM, got on a bus to transition to set up, rode the bus back to the swim start. Walked 2 blocks back to my hotel to eat breakfast and relax, then headed to the start about 7AM.

Event warmup:

Not much warmup available. Talked with some friends, did some shoulder rolls and light shadow-boxing to get my heart rate up and break a little bit of a sweat.

Swim

32m 26s

2112 yards

01m 32s / 100 yards

Comments:

The swim was more eventful than it should have been. I started out at the end of the dock but got knocked around in a crowd and drifted towards the shore right into a heavy patch of river grass. I ended up rolling over on my back and backstroking to get through it, and rolled back over once I was past the bridge. Then in between sighting strokes a kayak veered into my path to help a swimmer and I hit it head on. Once past the kayak the swim was relatively uneventful. I did catch a cramp in the last 50 yards or so but it subsided as soon as I was on the boat ramp.

What would you do differently?:

Avoid the river grass/kayak/other obstacles. Try to catch a draft off a faster swimmer.

Transition 1

04m 54s

Comments:

I ran up the boat ramp and to the wetsuit strippers, then jogged to my bike. I got caught in a crowd leaving T1, so I took my time until I mounted my bike.

I was surprised how long the run was to the bike racks.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing really.. maybe run a bit faster.

Bike

3h 02m 48s

56 miles

18.38 mile/hr

Comments:

Bike went according to plan.. comfortably hard for the first 15, rode the hills hard and coasted downhill, then WFO on the last 8 miles. I had to stop to pee at the first aid station, and dodge a wreck at the second. Felt really strong the last 8 miles. Relied on a 4oz shot of Infinit every 20 minutes for nutrition and never felt thirsty or weak.

What would you do differently?:

Attack the downhills more maybe, and learn to pee on the bike. Those two things could have saved me 5-6 minutes easy.

Transition 2

04m 12s

Comments:

I overshot where the dismount line was so I had to stop to get off the bike. Ran into T2, missed my rack, changed shoes, skipped the compression sleeves, and ran the wrong way to get out of transition. Once I got pointed in the right direction I was fine.

What would you do differently?:

Go the right way, and know where the dismount line is.

Run

1h 47m 8s

13.1 miles

08m 11s min/mile

Comments:

Run felt great. I came out of Transition strong and held a sub-8:00 pace for the first 3 miles. I settled in around 8:25 after that except for an aid station at the halfway point where I took a Gu and got some sponges and water. By mile 11 I was feeling fatigued, but I was too close to the finish to care.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing.

Post race

Warm down:

Walked to the finish area, drank a beer, talked to my teammates a bit. Headed to medical to get my knees iced. Went to Mellow Mushroom and ate a pizza.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing really... Felt like I left it all on the course.

Event comments:

Great race, great venue, great volunteers, great town. I can now see why WTC can charge a premium for their events. They put on a great race. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out for my first 70.3.

Last updated: 2014-09-30 12:00 AM

Swimming

00:32:26
|
2112 yards |
01m 32s / 100yards

Age Group:

269/393

Overall:

912/

Performance:

Good

Suit:

Full sleeve wetsuit

Course:

Point to point swim in the Savannah River

Start type:

Deep Water

Plus:

Waves

Water temp:

68F / 20C

Current:

Low

200M Perf.

Below average

Remainder:

Good

Breathing:

Good

Drafting:

Below average

Waves:

Good

Navigation:

Average

Rounding:

Good

T1

Time:

04:54

Performance:

Good

Cap removal:

Good

Helmet on/
Suit off:

Yes

Wetsuit stuck?

No

Run with bike:

No

Jump on bike:

No

Getting up to speed:

Average

Biking

03:02:48
|
56 miles |
18.38 mile/hr

Age Group:

259/393

Overall:

903/

Performance:

Good

Wind:

Some

Course:

Light rolling hills the first 15 miles, fairly hilly the next 33, practically downhill the last 8